Operations Plan
3.1 Location The Brooklyn Revolution will be located in a rented property on Crow street, Temple Bar. The current interior layout is quite suitable for a gastro pub, but will require some minor renovations to bring it up to the high standard our customers will expect. The atmosphere in the property will be relaxed to encourage sales, particularly in alcohol. In time there will be several separate areas within the property so as groups can pre-drink here in relative privacy. Temple Bar is a bustling area in Dublin City Centre, popular with locals and tourists alike. The footfall in this area is huge, both day and night. A survey was carried out by one of the partners showed that the footfall in a similar establishment, in close proximity to The Brooklyn Revolution. This survey indicated that the footfall in the hour between 12:30-13:30 was approximately BLA per hour. Several of the customers were asked what their spend was, along with what their average spend would be for a similar visit in the evening. The information we obtained from this survey, along with a casual interview carried out with a Weatherspoons (a competitor with a similar business model and plan) went a long way towards estimating the average spend of a customer which would be used in the financial plan. Temple Bar is ideally located within walking distance of the Dublin City Centre nightlife, making it a great location for pre-drinking before going to the clubs. There are also many office blocks, colleges and secondary level schools in the area, who will be attracted to the restaurant because of meal deals on offer. 3.2 Opening Hours and Licencing The Brooklyn Revolution will operate under a bla licence, meaning the opening hours will be from 11:30-02:00. These opening hours are provisional for the initial few months and can be changed if this would have a positive effect on the bottom line, to reflect our low cost business model. The relatively late opening hour allows for the brunch menu to be practical, rather than a breakfast menu, which is in keeping with the American theme. The long opening hours will require two shifts of staff per day, which will be discussed under 3.4. Another benefit of the late opening hours is that we can receive deliveries of fresh food in a very flexible manner. This would allow for a better working relationship with suppliers, as will be discussed under 3.5. The late closing will facilitate a late serving of food (until approximately 23:30) to allow for maximum sales potential. As with opening hours, this can be changed to positively impact on profits. The late closing alos allows for Brooklyn Revolution to be a location for pre-drinks, or as a stand alone night out. 3.3 Products and Services The Brooklyn Revolution is a low cost gastro-pub aiming to provide excellent customer service and experience. As is the cas with any business aiming to use low cost as their unique selling point, the business model needs to reflect this throughout. To this end, the business model for the Brooklun Revolution mirrors that of JD Weatherspoons, a similar restaurant with a successful business plan and a similar mission statement to our own, as discussed under BLA. Upon arrival, the customer would order and pay at the register or bar. This order will go through the electronic ordering system and the customer will be given a table number and seat themselves. The food will then be taken to the table and the customer can get their alcoholic drinks directly from the bar. The fact that we are only a partial table service restaurant lowers staffing costs, reflecting our low cost business model. Porters will then clear the tables. The menu is very selective, with many of the meals requiring the same fresh products and different preserved products in order to allow for bulk buying and low cost high sales. An example of the menu is available in the appendix. The suppliers and relationship will be discussed in further detail under 3.5. The Brooklyn Revolution will also offer little known Irish craft beers which can be sold cheaply to the benefit of the restaurant and raise awareness of the brand, benefiting the supplier of these craft beers. A survey carried out online SEE BLA recognised the need for an alternative to the traditional pre-drinking. To this end, the Brooklyn Revolution will become a perfect location for groups to pre-drink in before going to the clubs in town. This status as a replacement for home pre-drinking will be obtained by offering a huge selection of drinks offers in a relaxed environment with a late opening. In the evenings, groups will be able to purchase bottles of spirits and mixers to lower costs and encourage spending. 3.4 Staffing As previously discussed under 3.2, the opening hours of the Brooklyn Revolution will necessitate two shifts of staff per day. The weekday (Monday-Thursday) restaurant model requires for the opening shift (10:00-18:00); one cook, one bar staff, two waiters/porters and a supervisor. The closing shift (Monday- Thursday, 17:30-02:00) will require one cook, two bar staff, two waiters/porters and a supervisor. In the evenings, the supervisor will double as security, with bar staff checking ID at the bar upon receiving alcoholic drink orders. The weekend staffing (Friday to Sunday) will need to be greater as we believe this is when we will make a greater majority of our sales. The opening shift (10:00-18:00) will require; two cooks, one bar staff, two waiters/porters and a supervisor. The closing shift (Friday to Sunday 17:30-02:00) will require; two cooks, two bar staff, three waiters/porters and a supervisor. The bar staff and waiter/porters will all have the same training so that the staff for these two positions will be essentially interchangeable should it be required. The supervisor will be trained in all aspects of the restaurant operations and will be able to move around to facilitate smooth running. Bearing this in mind The Brooklyn Revolution will require six full time staff and six part time staff. The initial rate of pay will be €9.50, slightly above the current minimum wage of €8.65 per hour, with an increase being offered yearly to encourage staff loyalty and engagement. The supervisors will be the partners in the business, receiving minimum wage along with a percentage of annual profits. This will be increased once profits have stabilised. 3.5 Suppliers Many suppliers have been sourced as part of the production of this business plan including; BWG (general food and alcohol supplies), Derry Na Flan Ltd(deli fillings and speciality gourmet products), Mardi Ltd (cakes and pastries), Pat the Baker (bread), Sea View Vegtables (fresh fruit and vegetables) and The Beer Club (Irish craft beers). It has been advised by a manager in a similar establishment (Gina McKenna, Style Restaurant Blackrock) that it would be beneficial to have several suppliers rather than one main one so that we can pick up on any special offers available and ultimately lower costs. We aim to have a close working relationship with the suppliers to facilitate delivery timings and lower costs. There will be deliveries of fresh food thrice weekly with huge attention to be paid to health and safety regulations such as HACCP. We will have a collection of stock in alcohol to the value of €1800 initially, which will stabilise at €3000 once established.